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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24172873">Almost Caught Pretty</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/scentedrose/pseuds/scentedrose'>scentedrose</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pretty [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anxiety, Crossdressing, Fear of Discovery, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:20:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>874</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24172873</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/scentedrose/pseuds/scentedrose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A shopping trip gone wrong, with two Turks interrupting when they really should be no where near him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pretty [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738276</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Almost Caught Pretty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cloud doesn’t make a habit of dressing up, of wearing dresses or putting his hair back despite how hard it was to work with. He had made a habit of shaving his hair, though, liking how it felt when he would lay in bed or when he did decide to don a dress. He doesn’t always feel the need to be pretty, but he feels happier knowing that if he did want to, he could without fear. Tifa is still the only one that knows and he isn’t sure if he was ready for anyone else to know. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yet, it’s when he was perusing the skirts at a boutique in some larger town he felt that he could hide in fairly well, that the desire to keep it just to Tifa fell through. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought I recognized that spikey head.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cloud’s spine tenses. He doesn’t even need to look to see who that voice belongs to. And he wishes that he’d thought to look a little more inconspicuous while shopping — even if the likelihood of running into someone he knew was so low. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatcha doin’ in here? Shopping for something even shorter for Tifa to wear?” Cloud doesn’t even have to know that the comment didn’t settle over well with his bald partner given the ‘oof’ that escapes the man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cloud turns to face the pair, forgetting that he already had a long pleated skirt over his arm as he had intended to try it on before purchasing. While he has a few dresses, he wants to add to his collection for the times he does want to dress up. His cheeks are red, he knows, and he can’t exactly meet the eyes of either Turk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So who’s it for? Got a new girlfriend?” Reno continues to push, reaching forward to touch the thin cotton before Cloud quickly takes it out of his reach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you here?” Cloud asks, trying to keep any waver from his voice when he knows it’s getting harder to keep calm. It’s likely that Reno wouldn’t even think that the skirt was for himself, but Cloud cannot help but feel insecure and worried. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We just finished up a job. Now come on, Spikey! What’s with the skirt?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“None of your business.” Cloud pushes his way back through the two of them, trying not to make too much of a scene as his shoulder brushes with the redhead in his hurry to get away. He doesn’t want to answer any questions. And in doing so, he unfortunately has to drop the maxi skirt that he had been curious about trying on, just needing to vacate without further incidence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Turks don’t follow him back to his hotel room for the night, which he is grateful for, but he feels sick to his stomach. He knows that he was making a big deal out of what was likely nothing, but he also can’t help it when the idea of just anyone just knowing of his secret. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’ll just stay inside until he leaves for home in the morning and hopefully the Turks won’t bother him again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cloud felt tired even if the seven hours of sleep should have been enough. He had tossed and turned more than usual, with nightmares that hadn’t plagued him in years returning. He sees no reason to complain about it as he informs Tifa that he’s leaving the town and will arrive home for dinner. She wishes him safe travels. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Cloud opens the door after ensuring he’s gathered everything, he’s shocked to find a small bag sitting neatly before his door. With a glance either way down the hall, Cloud reaches for the bag and immediately realizes what it is. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The lavender material peeks out of the bag at him, causing his heart to race with a sense of fear. Did Reno figure it out? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The note attached to it tells him otherwise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘You forgot this. Congrats on the new gf.’ </span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cloud takes a little comfort from it, and while he checks to see if it was somehow bugged, he makes sure to tuck it away securely before he sets off. He’ll appreciate the skirt later. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The appreciation didn’t happen until months later, the skirt having been tucked away forgotten in the back of his closet. This time, he doesn’t wait until he’s left town, because Tifa has assured him multiple times that this was also a safe haven for him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sits out on the bed, skirt still folded away in the bag and now before him. Cloud isn’t sure why this mattered, but something about Reno having </span>
  <em>
    <span>bought</span>
  </em>
  <span> this for him settled oddly in his stomach. He is sure that it means nothing. The apprehension is still there when he pulls the long skirt from the bag, the rustling of no consequence when the thin material fans out over the bed. He doesn’t even know if it fits, nor if it would even look flattering. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s only one way to find out…” Cloud murmurs to himself, rising from the bed to do just that, ignoring the </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> of this skirt coming into his possession. It didn’t matter ultimately, because once the skirt slides over his smooth legs, it’s all forgotten.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There's no set plan for these. I'm kind of just going with it and hoping for the best. This one isn't the best of them, but I hope you guys still enjoyed it. I've not decided if there will be any higher rated stories in this installment. I may, but let me know what you guys would think of that!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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